First you hear a thudding drum march. A black stallion gallops towards a gothic castle ridden by a youth dressed in a black cape waving a Celine flag. Where are we? Creative director, Hedi Slimane, transports his menswear catwalk to the ramparts of a gothic fortress for this can’t miss show, a love story between fashion show and film.
Slimane allows us to witness his own dark, Rockstar aesthetic with traditional, left bank Parisian look that is Celine. This takes place at Château de Chambord, a hunting lodge in France. Inspiration for the collection also hails from the 16th century venue which hauls Celine back to its French roots. The film helps to show the designer’s latest vision for Celine, which continues to be geared towards a younger market. The result: a perfect harmony of renaissance meets youthful, gothic streetwear. This show is an escape.
Ready to watch a story unfold, a model stands on the balcony. Dressed in a modern ensemble that bares a priestly influence. The collection and venue perfectly envision a French style. Designs of ski mask meets beanie, a modern allude to a helmet. It becomes clear the young models are meant to mirror knights. Ruffled collars meet dark leathers. Accessorized from pearl earrings to layered chains resembling armor. Regal colors, subtle flares, diamond embellishments that glimmer in the light, this collection does an excellent job at upholding the traditional chic Celine image. Dark, edgy, and masculine meet romantic inspiration cited from the past. “The colors black and tan, and gold and silver are those of the 16th century court and ceremonial dress, notably on the final look, realized by twenty-three embroiders and requiring 1,300 hours of work.” The collection feels youthful yet wearable as if it belongs not just on the runway.
A new vision of escapism has entered fashion amidst the pandemic. The dark, mystical allure takes us to another world. We are living through a time where everyone wants to escape. Celine 2021 perfectly captures this. We are not viewing a runway where we feel we are missing out on normalcy. Hedi is able to create a link between the films purpose and the collection itself, a modern escape to the past. Hedi’s photography background is visible through the cinematography. He brings a realistic style to our wildest dreams.
Is this what people want to see from Celine? Many argue that Slimane, who ditched Paris for Los Angeles, has just brought his past success at Saint Laurent to Celine via his louche LA gender blurring look. The latter has drawn criticism chiefly for fusing silhouettes without due respect to the signatures of each house/place.
With years of experience at different fashion houses Slimane should know what works best. Creative strategist, Susanne Tide-Frater who is brand director at Farfetch explains, “it can take five to six seasons for a luxury house’s new direction to fully come together under a new creative director. That’s when the brand has fully embraced a new aesthetic vision.” Hedi is recognized for his successful YSL rebrand that increased sales. “In 2002 alone he increased Dior’s (menswear) ready to wear and subsidiaries by 42%.” Slimane famously inspired Karl Lagerfeld to slim down to his latter iconic form so he could fit into a pair of Dior menswear suits.
Slimane wisely gears this Celine collection towards a younger age, as he says, “Gen Z is an eager market with over $140 billion to spend, and brands are racing to catch them.”
The film closes in the most elegant way, wrapping up the story neatly as Alexandre Dumas, writer of Les Trois Mousquetaires would approve of. Under the moonlight the men march away from the chateau with torches in hand. Fashion forward knights ending their watch. The show captures Fall 2021 flawlessly. Slimane chooses the French military drum march to a song entitled “Time Slip” by artist, Loom that he co-produced with writers George Barnett and Jack Barnett.
The show notes put it as “Living again, in the sense of coming to life, being reborn. Youth reinvents itself in the game and imaginary codes of new identities. ”
After escaping Paris and taking Celine with him to Los Angeles, does this film sees a return to French roots? The collection certainly ties a desire for escapism, particularly during this pandemic, into modern French fashion with a swashbuckling twist on his masculine, androgynous style.
In effect, this is old Celine stepping back and taking a bow, like a gallant musketeer, graciously allowing the young D’Artagnan to step forward and take his pick. After all, youth shouldn’t be wasted on the young. Perhaps Slimane’s rallying cry is really All for one and one for all.
